1969 Washington Senators season
Encyclopedia
The Washington Senators
season involved the Senators finishing 4th in the newly-established American League East
with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.
as manager. The Washington Redskins
hired Vince Lombardi
as Head Coach and he had brought a winning attitude to the nation's capital. In the same year, the nearby University of Maryland
had hired Lefty Driesell
to coach basketball. It marked a renaissance in sports interest in America's most transient of cities.
The hiring of Ted Williams sparked at least increased curiosity in the team. Williams' fanatic approach to hitting helped improve the Senators offense considerably, and inspired the team to its one and only winning season during its 10-year stay in Washington. For this remarkable turnaround, Williams was voted American League Manager of the Year. (Note: This was the only award that Ted Williams had ever won, but Joe DiMaggio had not.) As a result, attendance at RFK Stadium improved to over 900,000, the best attendance record the "new" Senators ever had.
All-Star Game
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
season involved the Senators finishing 4th in the newly-established American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.
Offseason
- January 8, 1969: John OrsinoJohn OrsinoJohn Joseph Orsino is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before the 1957 season, and played for the San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles , and Washington Senators .Orsino made his major league debut on July 14, 1961 against the...
was purchased from the Senators by the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
Regular season
The year 1969 was a turning point in Washington sports history. The Senators named Ted WilliamsTed Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
as manager. The Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
hired Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
as Head Coach and he had brought a winning attitude to the nation's capital. In the same year, the nearby University of Maryland
Maryland Terrapins men's basketball (1970–1979)
-1969–70:The year 1969 was a turning point in Washington sports history. The University of Maryland had hired Lefty Driesell to coach basketball. The Senators named Ted Williams as manager. The Washington Redskins hired Vince Lombardi as Head Coach and he had brought a winning attitude to the...
had hired Lefty Driesell
Lefty Driesell
Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, Davidson College, James Madison University, and Georgia State University. During his 41-year coaching career, Driesell led teams from each school to the NCAA...
to coach basketball. It marked a renaissance in sports interest in America's most transient of cities.
The hiring of Ted Williams sparked at least increased curiosity in the team. Williams' fanatic approach to hitting helped improve the Senators offense considerably, and inspired the team to its one and only winning season during its 10-year stay in Washington. For this remarkable turnaround, Williams was voted American League Manager of the Year. (Note: This was the only award that Ted Williams had ever won, but Joe DiMaggio had not.) As a result, attendance at RFK Stadium improved to over 900,000, the best attendance record the "new" Senators ever had.
Opening Day starters
- Ed BrinkmanEd BrinkmanEdwin Albert Brinkman was a Major League Baseball shortstop. He played fifteen years in the Major League Baseball, led the American League in games played twice, won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop, and had a career batting average of .224...
- Paul CasanovaPaul CasanovaPaulino Ortiz Casanova is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1965 to 1974 for the Washington Senators and Atlanta Braves.-Minor league career:...
- Tim CullenTim CullenThis article is about the baseball player. For the article about the Wisconsin state politician, see Timothy Cullen . For the article about the former World Bank spokesman see Tim Cullen ....
- Mike EpsteinMike EpsteinMichael Peter Epstein , nicknamed SuperJew, is a former Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and California Angels from –....
- Frank Howard
- Ken McMullen
- Camilo PascualCamilo PascualCamilo Alberto Pascual is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During an 18-year baseball career , he played for the Washington Senators , the second Washington Senators franchise, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cleveland Indians...
- Ed StroudEd StroudEdwin Marvin Stroud is a retired American professional baseball player. An outfielder, he played in the Major Leagues from 1966–1971 for the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators....
- Del UnserDel UnserDelbert Bernard Unser is a retired Major League Baseball center fielder and utility player who had a 15-year career from 1968 to 1982. Unser played for the Washington Senators from 1968 to 1971 and the Cleveland Indians in 1972...
Notable transactions
- June 5, 1969: 1969 Major League Baseball Draft1969 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Washington Senators tabbed slugging outfielder Jeff Burroughs of Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA as the nation's number one pick...
- Dave MoatesDave MoatesDavid Allen Moates is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the major leagues, from until , for the Texas Rangers.-Sources:...
was drafted by the Senators in the 4th round. - Dave CriscioneDave CriscioneDavid Gerald Criscione is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played seven games for the Baltimore Orioles in , going 3-for-9 at the plate....
was drafted by the Senators in the 5th round.
- Dave Moates
- June 20, 1969: Bill DenehyBill Denehy (baseball)William Francis Denehy is a retired American professional baseball pitcher and coach. Denehy threw and batted right-handed, stood tall, and weighed ....
and cash was traded by the Senators to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for Lee MayeLee MayeArthur Lee Maye was a Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves , Houston Astros , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , and Chicago White Sox .Maye was also well known as a Rhythm & Blues singer...
.
Roster
| 1969 Washington Senators | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 124 | 379 | 26 | 82 | .216 | 4 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1B | 131 | 403 | 73 | 112 | .278 | 30 | 85 | 2 | |
| 2B | 122 | 365 | 33 | 90 | .247 | 9 | 45 | 5 | |
| 3B | 158 | 562 | 83 | 153 | .272 | 19 | 87 | 4 | |
| SS | 151 | 576 | 71 | 153 | .266 | 2 | 43 | 2 | |
| LF | 161 | 592 | 111 | 175 | .296 | 48 | 111 | 1 | |
| CF | 153 | 581 | 69 | 166 | .286 | 7 | 57 | 8 | |
| RF | 71 | 238 | 41 | 69 | .290 | 9 | 26 | 1 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases| Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 109 | 271 | 42 | 75 | .277 | 1 | 17 | 12 | |
| 119 | 249 | 22 | 52 | .209 | 1 | 15 | 1 | |
| 104 | 237 | 29 | 59 | .249 | 11 | 40 | 1 | |
| 123 | 206 | 35 | 52 | .252 | 4 | 29 | 12 | |
| 63 | 158 | 14 | 29 | .184 | 2 | 13 | 1 | |
| 31 | 75 | 9 | 20 | .267 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| 33 | 57 | 6 | 11 | .193 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| 27 | 37 | 3 | 5 | .135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 41 | 31 | 1 | 5 | .161 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 21 | 28 | 2 | 3 | .107 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 247.2 | 12 | 13 | 3.27 | 182 | |
| 35 | 158.1 | 7 | 6 | 3.64 | 72 | |
| 31 | 193 | 14 | 5 | 2.19 | 99 | |
| 31 | 134 | 9 | 8 | 4.30 | 51 | |
| 14 | 55.1 | 2 | 5 | 6.83 | 34 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 171.2 | 12 | 7 | 2.78 | 73 | |
| 30 | 84.2 | 4 | 7 | 4.04 | 50 | |
| 14 | 35.2 | 1 | 3 | 6.56 | 25 | |
| 6 | 17.2 | 1 | 1 | 4.58 | 5 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 3.48 | 71 | |
| 53 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 2.24 | 59 | |
| 47 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3.05 | 43 | |
| 43 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4.05 | 51 | |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.20 | 15 | |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.45 | 3 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 2 |
Awards and honors
- Del UnserDel UnserDelbert Bernard Unser is a retired Major League Baseball center fielder and utility player who had a 15-year career from 1968 to 1982. Unser played for the Washington Senators from 1968 to 1971 and the Cleveland Indians in 1972...
, American League Leader, Triples (8) - Del Unser, American League Record, Fewest Triples in One Season by an American League Leader (8)
- Ted WilliamsTed WilliamsTheodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year
All-Star Game
1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 40th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 23, 1969 at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, DC. The game resulted...
- Frank Howard, Starting LF
- Darold KnowlesDarold KnowlesDarold Duane Knowles is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, and the current pitching coach of the Florida State League's Dunedin Blue Jays...
, Reserve
Farm system
Savannah affiliation shared with Houston AstrosHouston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...